Ten Keys to Effective Listening

From "Your Personal Listening Profile," Sperry Corporation

Keys to Effective Listening	The Bad Listener	The Good Listener
Find areas of interest	Tunes out dry subjects	Opportunitizes: asks "What's in it for me?"
Judge content, not delivery	Tunes out if delivery is poor	Judges content, skips over delivery errors
Hold your fire	Tends to enter into argument	Doesn't judge until comprehension is complete
Listen for ideas	Listens for facts	Listens for central themes
Be flexible	Takes intensive notes, using only one system	Takes fewer notes. Uses 4-5 different systems, depending on speaker
Work at listening	Shows no energy output. Fakes attention.	Works hard, exhibits active body state
Resist distractions	Is easily distracted	Fights or avoids distractions, tolerates bad habits, knows how to concentrate.
Exercise your mind	Resists difficult expository material; seeks light, recreational material	Uses heavier material as exercise for the mind
Keep your mind open	Reacts to emotional words	Interprets color words; does not get hung up on them
Capitalize on the fact that thought is faster than speech	Tends to daydream with slow speakers	Challenges, anticipates, mentally summarizes, weighs the evidence, listens between the lines to tone of voice

Also from "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Listen with the intent to understand.
Look at the issue from another's person's point of view. Listen not only with your ears, but with your eyes and          heart as well.